DeSoto County Courthouse, County courthouse in Arcadia, Florida
The DeSoto County Courthouse is a redbrick building at 115 East Oak Street in Arcadia, Florida, designed by the Tampa firm Bonfoey & Elliott in the Classical Revival style. It was built in 1912–1913 by the Read-Parker Construction Company as the county's third courthouse and the second in Arcadia. It was restored in 1976 and is a contributing property in the Arcadia Historic District.
The Tampa firm Bonfoey & Elliott designed this Classical Revival courthouse, and the Read-Parker Construction Company built it in 1912-1913. It was DeSoto County's third courthouse and the second erected in Arcadia. A 1976 restoration preceded its listing as a contributing property in the Arcadia Historic District, and in 1989 it appeared in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture from the University of Florida Press.
The courthouse carries the name of Hernando de Soto, the Spanish explorer whose 1539 expedition crossed what became the county's territory. Its 1912-1913 construction by the Read-Parker firm made it the second courthouse raised in Arcadia, and since 1976 the restored building has stood within the Arcadia Historic District, where it is a contributing property.
The courthouse stands at 115 East Oak Street, within the Arcadia Historic District, so it can be reached on foot from the surrounding downtown blocks. It remains an active county facility; check public access before visiting. The 1976 restoration preceded its listing in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture in 1989.
The building is the work of Bonfoey & Elliott, the Tampa firm in which M. Leo Elliott was a partner; the same office also designed Tampa's 1915 City Hall. Its inclusion in the University of Florida Press guide in 1989 came thirteen years after the 1976 restoration.
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